1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of briefcases and other protective hand-carried cases or bags. More particularly, the invention relates to a travel bag that is adapted to neatly organize and securely carry a laptop and other small electronic devices and business materials, as well as a purse or hand bag for personal items, and is attractive in appearance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The business person today, when going to a meeting, must frequency carry along a number of items, such as a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, plus paper files. Often the person has to travel to a distant location for the meeting, which means that personal items must also be carried along. Today, due to stringent security restrictions on airline travel, a traveler is limited to two carry-on items: one carry-on size piece of luggage and one personal item. Typically, the traveling business person wants to avoid having to check luggage to save time and, thus, wants to carry onto the plane the one piece of carry-on luggage plus a single bag that contains all necessary business items and artifacts. The situation is more complicated for a businesswoman, who, in addition to the typical tools of the business world mentioned above, also typically carries a purse or handbag, which contains small personal items, such as wallet, keys, glasses, and personal care and cosmetic items. The new regulations count a purse as the one personal item the traveler is allowed to bring onboard, so the business woman today has to check what normally would be allowed as carry-on luggage, if she wants to carry a briefcase/laptop case and a purse on board.
A solution to this problem is to carry a bag that fits within the security regulations as a carry-on bag, and combines the features of a well-organized computer carrycase with storage area for personal artifacts. Numerous computer carry bags and tote bags are available. None of the conventional bags, however, provides the degree of protection for electronic devices and files, while simultaneously providing the storage space and organization for myriad other accessories, such as power cords and chargers, PC and office supplies, as well as the personal items a businesswoman typically carries with her. Many tote bags are open at the top, exposing the contents to the weather and the view of other parties, and also making it easier for a thief to lift articles from the bag if it is left unguarded for only very brief moments. A critical disadvantage of the conventional tote bag is that it does not provide the organizational functionality desired for neatly and conveniently storing the artifacts and devices required in the course of business, because it has an open bucket design with very few pockets, if any at all. Such tote bags make it difficult to maintain a system of ordering the items for convenient retrieval. Heavy items, such as keys and mobile phones, invariably sink to the bottom, and within a short period of time, papers float about loosely and the items are hopelessly jumbled and difficult to retrieve quickly. Tote bags generally detract from the look that a professional and successful businesswoman wishes to convey, and many of them are difficult to carry, with straps that slip off the shoulder.
Other bags or cases for computers, particularly those in the briefcase style, provide a secure enclosure for a computer and other articles, but make it difficult to quickly and easily gain access to some of the articles, without first having to set the case down in order to open it up. Having to set the case down in order to open it also puts the person carrying it into a more vulnerable position, because the case is now separated from the person and open, restricting the ability of the person to move away from an unpleasant situation without giving up control of the case. This is particularly true of such computer bags with a hinged two-part body that must be unlocked or released, and the upper part then lifted to expose the articles therewithin. Security checks at an airport now regularly require that a laptop be removed from its carrying case for inspection. This increases the need for a carrying case that allows one to quickly and easily remove the laptop for an airport security check, and just as quickly and easily replace it once cleared through security. The functional structure of the briefcase has not changed in over 30 years and it fails to address the need to organize electronic devices and accessories, and business and personal articles.
What is needed, therefore, is a travel bag particularly geared to the needs of the business traveler, that will neatly and securely store electronic devices, and provide storage area for business and personal items. What is further needed is such a travel bag that enables the user to organize all necessary devices and articles, and yet provides easy access to selected areas. What is yet further needed is such a travel bag that is comfortable to carry, protects the contents of the bag from the weather, and is fashionably attractive.